Thanks, as always, to Ky for the hand holding and butt kicking and Allie, my Super Beta.
Lorelai heaved a sigh as she signed her name on the last page of the divorce papers. She smiled politely and shook the lawyer's hand as he handed her a copy and wished her luck in any and all future endeavors.
She headed slowly for the car, the large manila envelope banging lightly against her leg as she walked. Tossing it casually onto the passenger seat of the jeep, she got in and shut the door.
Lorelai hesitated before putting the key in the ignition and turned her attention to the envelope again as she dropped the keys into her lap.
She picked it up and looked at it for a moment. There was nothing special to this envelope; it was like every other manila envelope she had ever seen. Her name and a few other personal details were on a white label in the middle. The lawyer's address and whatnot was in the left hand corner.
But it still held her attention.
With another sigh she dug her cell phone out of her purse and hit the speed dial.
"Hello?"
"Hey Rory," she said as she sat back in the seat, feeling like a weight had been lifted.
"Hey!" she said happily. "What's up?"
"Well, I'm sitting here in the jeep, and I have a rather imposing envelope staring at me."
"Right. That was today, wasn't it?" Rory asked as she stopped working on the article in front of her. She had nearly forgotten that her mother was signing the last of the papers today.
"It was," she said. "We are, once again, the single Gilmore Girls. Well, not really single-single, but with Logan still in London, we can pretend."
"Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm not really doing anything important. I could stop by and we could grab some coffee or something."
"I'm okay," she said with a smile. "Really. I think I'm just going to go and see Paul Anka."
"Are you sure?" Rory asked again. She had just had coffee with Christopher a few days ago after he had completed this very event.
He was more than a little worried that Rory was going to be distant after the divorce and he had needed more than a little reassurance.
"I'm sure, kid," she said with a small smile. "I should run. My parking meter time is just about up."
"Oh, okay. Well, give me a call later. I am definitely free this weekend for some serious movie/junk food action."
"Will do, sweets. Talk to you later," she said as they both signed off.
She tossed the phone back in her purse and looked at the envelope again for a moment before tossing it carelessly into the back seat. Turning on the radio, she was pleasantly surprised to hear The Bangles blaring back at her.
"So, anything exciting happen this week? Lorelai?" Emily asked without tact, staring directly at her daughter.
Lorelai choked a little on her wine. She knew that her mother would be dying to know about the divorce proceedings, but she had hoped she'd be a little more sensitive. But with her father away on business, there was no one to rein her in.
"Well?"
"Can you give me a minute? I'm trying to choke myself here," she said as she got herself under control.
"Nothing special. I signed the papers a few days ago and I am back to plain, old, disappointing Lorelai Gilmore," she said with a shrug as she picked her fork back up to play with her beets.
Emily raised an eyebrow and was about to open her mouth when Rory stepped in and deflected the conversation toward herself, sparing her mother.
Lorelai sighed a little as she continued to play with her beets. She hated beets. She was surprised her mother was serving them, given their tendency to make everything a reddish-purple color.
She half-listened to Rory's tale about Paris' latest escapades while she tried to come up with ways of getting out of diner early. Unfortunately couldn't come up with any, and soon found herself being ushered back into the living room for after-dinner drinks.
"What?" she asked as she jerked her head up from her drink when she heard Rory calling her.
"I said it's getting late, don't you think?" Rory asked again, hoping Lorelai would pick up on her meaning.
"Yes. Late. You're right, and we should go," she said setting her drink down on the end table and standing up. Emily walked them to the door and the maid of the week brought their coats. While Rory slipped out, Emily held Lorelai back.
"Are you sure you made the right choice?"
"A little late now, Mom," Lorelai said as she stared at the toes of her pumps for a moment. "Why the sudden interest?"
"Because you seem to be rushing in and out of things lately. You were so sure about Luke, and when that wasn't going as you planned you rushed out of a relationship with him and into one with Christopher. And now you're rushing out of that relationship."
"There was no rushing out with Chris, mom," she said as she put a hand on her hip.
"You weren't even married a year!"
"He started a fistfight with Luke in the middle of the square for no reason! Every time I came home late he was all over me, accusing me of cheating on him with Luke. Every time I wanted to go do something in town and I didn't invite him, it must have been because I was sneaking off to see Luke!
"It didn't matter what I did mom, he was always accusing me, always trying to force me into moving away from Stars Hollow or something else that would make him happy. It didn't really matter that I wanted to stay put with my Inn and my friends. It only mattered what he wanted."
Emily stood quietly for a moment when Lorelai finished.
"Are you done?"
"Yes!" she said, a little louder than necessary.
"Good," she said calmly. "Your father and I are worried. You've never been one to jump in and out of relationships. You've never been one to sit idly by while your life goes in a direction you're not happy with, either," she referenced the recent gulf between her and Luke caused by April.
Lorelai just sighed and looked everywhere but at her mother.
"Perhaps if all you're going to do is sabotage your relationships, you should talk to someone about why."
"I don't sabotage my relationships!"
"Then why did you not insist that Luke let you be part of that girl's life? Why did you not at least compromise on some of the things Christopher wanted?"
Lorelai had no real answer.
"I have to go," she said coldly.
"Rory's waiting," she tacked on before she quickly left the house, being sure to slam the door before stalking to the car.
"Should I drive?" Rory asked when she saw her mother exit the Gilmore mansion.
"Whatever," she said as she tossed Rory the keys and climbed into the passenger seat to sulk during the ride home.
Rory glanced over at her mother several times as they drove from Hartford to Stars Hollow, a concerned look on her face. Lorelai finally snapped as the town square came into view.
"What?" she demanded as she shifted quickly in her seat to look at Rory.
"What did Grandma say to you?" she asked, ignoring the fact that Lorelai had snapped at her.
"Nothing."
"And what part of this nothing has you so down and out?"
"The part where she said I purposefully sabotage my relationships," she finally admitted. She waited for Rory to respond. "You're line is what? She's crazy!," Lorelai prompted.
"Well, what if she's not?" Rory asked in a little voice.
"Rory!"
"Just think about it for a minute!" she called back as they finally drove through the town square. "You didn't event try to argue with Luke about April, and when he wouldn't elope, you went straight to the one person he hates the most in the whole world."
"I think he might hate Hitler more," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Rory ignored her and kept going.
"And with Dad? Why couldn't you agree to at least paint the bedroom? Or rearrange the furniture to make him happy? Or the wedding party thing Grandma threw the two of you? Why did you have to fight him so long and so hard on everything?" she asked as they drove past Luke's.
Lorelai sighed as she stared out the window. Rory was right. Oh God, that meant her mother was right! Oh God, she just admitted that her mo. . .
Her train of thought abruptly derailed when she saw Luke talking to a woman in his empty diner. She craned her neck around so she could get a better look at them as they drove past.
The woman was seated at the counter and he was behind it, serving her coffee in her mug and offering her the smile he used to save for when he was flirting with her.
Tonight was so not her night.